


Just a Phone Call Away

by LovingGwendolaj



Category: Game of Thrones RPF
Genre: Braime - Freeform, F/M, Flirting, Friendship, No cheating, Social Media, gwendolaj - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2020-11-10 15:10:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20853821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LovingGwendolaj/pseuds/LovingGwendolaj
Summary: This work is RPF.This story will be made up of a collection of phone calls between Nikolaj and Gwendoline inspired by real events we see on social media, at events they attend, in entertainment news etc. We know from comments the have made that they do chat on the phone so this fic is based on that information.





	1. October 1, 2019

**Author's Note:**

> I’m sure by now everyone has seen the video of Nik showing his new home in LA. In that video he shows the Brienne doll that was given to him by a fan and says he’s supposed to give it to Gwen. This chapter/phone call is based on that. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy 😊

Tuesday, October 1, 2019 

On the third ring he finally answered the phone. “Hey, how are you?” 

“Well it’s about time you answered,” Gwen drawled. 

“Sorry, I had my ringer off,” Nik apologized. “A shame though, because I have your ringtone set to Bitch by Meredith Brooks - such a great song.” 

“Hold on, I’m changing your ringtone right now,” Gwen replied. “Creep by Radiohead should do.” 

Nik chuckled. “Also a great choice. But what was it before?” 

Gwen smiled to herself. “Barbie Girl,” she replied smugly. 

“Ah ah ah, yeah,” he sang back to her. 

“Hold on, changing it back,” she joked. They shared a laugh for a moment. These were the times she missed so much now that they didn’t get to see each other as often. Thankfully they were only a phone call away and they talked quite often. 

“So what are you up to?” Nik asked, as the laughter died down.

“Actually, I’m buried in Instagram notifications and it’s all your fault,” Gwen scoffed. “But more importantly - where is my Brienne doll?” 

“_Your _Brienne doll?” Nik sneered back. “She’s mine.” 

“You said in that video thing that you were supposed to give her to me,” she pressed. “I want her. She’s mine. You need to bring her to me.” 

“Woah Nelly,” he interrupted. “I said I was supposed to give her to you - not that I was actually going to do it.” 

“What?” Gwen gasped. “You can’t do that.” 

“I sure can,” he replied. “Possession is 90 percent of the law or nine tenths of the law or something like that -“ 

“Those are the same things,” she snapped. “Nine tenths is 90 percent.” 

“Huh, so it is,” Nik muttered. “But wait,” he added. “Let’s take a step back - you watched the video tour of my house?” 

Gwen could head the amusement in his voice. “Yes, and it confirmed my suspicion that you’re a moron,” she jested. “How do you not know your own kid’s astrological sign?” 

“Oh, are you a Sagittarius? I could give that one to you,” he said. 

“Oh my god,” Gwen rolled her eyes. “You know my birthday is at the end of the month. I’m a Scorpio.” 

“What a shame,” Nik sighed. “It’s really quite pretty.” 

“Okay, for real though, are you going to give me that doll or what?” She asked, steering the conversation back to the reason she had called. 

“Nope,” he responded, still sounding amused.

“Come onnnnnnnn,” She whined. “She’s so cute.” 

Gwen was ready to strangle him by that point and his reply only made it worse. “She’s clearly become an integral part of my interior design. I don’t want to mess things up.” 

“I hate you,” she pouted. 

“Listen, I’ll make you a deal,” he offered. “Next time we are both in LA you come visit me at my place. I’ll make you dinner and perhaps, if you’re on your very best behavior, I might just let you take her when you leave.” 

“Oh it’s on,” she said quickly. “And if you don’t give her to me I will resort to kidnapping.” 

“Dollnapping,” Nik corrected her with a laugh. They chatted a bit longer and as he always did Nik got sentimental. “You know I miss you, right?” 

“Well I don’t miss you. Not one bit,” she lied. He knew the truth though, she didn’t have to admit it. “Listen, I have to go, but you better call me next week. It’s your turn.” They had a deal that they would always call each other at least once a week, which they had stuck to and then some. It was usually more like twice a week that they talked. 

“You know I will,” he said. “Love you, Bye.” 

“Love you too.” Gwen hung up, still smiling. The ‘love you’ thing was new, but it just felt right at that point in their friendship - though she suspected he only said it to her when he was alone, which she understood. 

Gwen got up to finish making her dinner, feeling much lighter and happier after having talked to Nik. She would never admit to him the positive affect he had on her, but it was something she always cherished. Gwen opened the fridge and let her mind wander, wondering just how long it would be before Nik was fixing her dinner in LA?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually had a couple people ask about adding a chapter to this one so I wrote this quickly this morning. Hope you all like it :)

** November 16, 2019 **

When Nikolaj opened Instagram and saw a photo from a few days ago of Gwen at some event she’d attended it reminded him that he’d been meaning to call her. He knew she was back in London by then so he dialed her home number from his landline. She picked up on the second ring, “Hello?” 

“Hey, how are you?” he asked. 

“Hi,” she said happily. “I’m good, a bit tired from travelling. How about you? Are you home from Sweden now?” 

They had both been busy with things the last little while and they really needed to catch up. They chatted easily about all they had been doing but when Gwen finally got to the event he’d seen the photo from the teasing started. “So I saw that photo of you standing up on the way to the museum and I read an article that said it was so you wouldn’t wrinkle your dress? You actually took a bus there so you wouldn’t wrinkle the dress?” he asked. 

“Sometimes we have to make great sacrifices in the name of fashion,” she replied haughtily. 

“In the name of fashion? Or the name of Laura Dern?” Nik continued. “You remind me of those girls who are just a little bit too obsessed with you and I,” he accused her. “What do they call it? Girl fanning?” 

“Oh my God,” she moaned. Nik could actually see her rolling her eyes at him. “It’s fan girling. How do you always manage to get things completely backwards?” 

“It’s your ridiculous language. It’s so weird. Danish is easy and straightforward,” he said. 

“I have seen that video of you doing Danish slang - you’re a liar,” she countered. 

Nik quickly diverted. “We were talking about you here - and your obsession with Laura.” 

“Did you see the flowers she sent me?” Gwen gushed. “Weren’t they beautiful? Did you see her dress and her hair and her shoes? Isn’t she beautiful?” She finished with a sigh as she proved his point. 

“You are so odd. I just don’t get it. She’s just a person, who happens to be beautiful and a talented actress - just like you,” Nik said. 

“Ahhhhh, I love you,” she screamed. He actually had to pull the phone away from his ear. “You just compared me to Laura fucking Dern. You’re the best.” 

“You’re beyond my help,” he replied, sighing dramatically. 

“Are you alone?” Gwen asked suddenly. 

“Yeah, the girls all went out for dinner and a movie. Why? What’s up?” It was strange for her to ask that, even though he often did wait until he was alone to call her - but she knew that. They often ended up getting loud and silly on the phone and he knew how their bickering and banter could easily annoy people. He thought maybe it was just her way of shifting the conversation. 

“When I was in New York, I met with a couple of ladies who are working on this, well, this raunchy little off broadway play. It’s very artsy, feminist and dirty - right up my alley,” Gwen said with a laugh. “Anyway, they asked me to write a scene and I was wondering if you would read it for me?” 

“Sure,” he replied quickly, already wondering what he was getting himself into. 

“Oh great,” she said excitedly. “I’m sending it to your email now. I need to hear what it sounds like in a sexy male voice.” 

“You think my voice is sexy?” Nik asked with a chuckle. 

“No, but you’ll do in a pinch,” Gwen bantered back. “I tried to get Giles to read it but I was laughing so hard he didn’t even get through the whole thing.” Again, Nik wondered what he’d just agreed to. “It just sounded so wrong in his proper British accent - and the man can’t act to save his life.” 

“Oh so you didn’t want me to do my British accent?” he asked, checking for the email on his cell. 

“Oh please no,” she squealed. “You get an A for effort, but your brit accent is awful.” 

“About as good as your attempt at Danish,” he teased. There was a slightly drunk evening he was trying to teach her a few words, but it went horribly wrong. She also attempted his accent with english words - also a massive failure. 

“I really think I was getting the hang of it.” She couldn’t even finish the sentence without laughing. 

He was already laughing with her, “You called a bagel a toilet biscuit and told me my hair was the color chicken.” Nik watched as the email loaded and then scanned the content. “Holy fuck,” he muttered. “Are you writing a porno?” 

“Oh good, you got the email,” Gwen replied. “Whenever you’re ready - start reading.” 

He actually felt his cheeks flush reading the words in his head and it took a lot to get him embarrassed. It was definitely a good thing he was home alone. “Am I just reading it? In my own voice? Or am I supposed to be playing the role of whoever this dirty mother fucker is that’s saying these words?” 

“Dirty mother fucker, definitely,” she said. 

“Okay - here goes nothing.” Nik flipped his phone sideways and zoomed in on the text so he could read it easier. “Take off all your clothes,” he started, keeping his voice low and even toned. “I’m already naked and my cock is hard. I’m stroking it while I picture you stripping off your shirt, yeah baby, let me see those sexy tits.” He was honestly expecting Gwen would be laughing at him by that point, but the fact she wasn’t must have meant he was doing a good job. 

Nik added a few pauses, moans and groans in the right places as he kept reading the words she’d written. “Is that pussy wet? Is it all ready for my big, hard dick?” It was really difficult not to get turned on reading the graphic words and pretending to be that guy. Finally he just gave up on worrying about it and let it happen. He was alone anyway and had plenty of time to finish up before anyone came home. 

“Touch yourself,” he whispered. As horribly wrong as he knew it was he allowed himself to wonder if perhaps Gwen was on the other end of the line, getting just as turned on as he was, following the very instructions she’d asked him to read. “If I was there I would lick that pussy and suck your clit gently, just the way you like it, lick and suck, tease you over and over, Mmmm, you taste so good.” He scrolled down, but realized that was the end. He also realized he was disappointed it was over, especially since he’d already worked up a decent hard on. “Oh, I guess that’s it,” he said, shifting back to his normal voice. 

“Holy fuck that was hot,” Gwen muttered. “Wow.” 

“Wait a minute? Was that just some sort of trick?” he asked. “Were you using me to get off?” 

“Oh my God no,” she gasped. “I would never do that - well, not intentionally anyway,” Gwen added. That made his dick ache. Was that her way of admitting she was turned on too? “It’s really for a play, I swear. Maybe when it’s time, you should, uh, audition for the role.” 

“Oh hell no,” he replied with a laugh. “I am not starring in your sex play - but I will go see it with you.” 

“Just like you came to see my last play?” she scoffed. 

“I wanted to, I really did. But things came up and I just never got the chance.” She bugged him about that relentlessly and he knew he deserved it. He’d promised her he would come see it and he felt like shit for not fulfilling that promise. “I’ll make it up to you someday.” 

“Yeah well I’m going to make you feel even worse when I come see Macbeth and rave all over social media about how amazing it was,” she warned. 

“I know you will,” he chuckled. “And I will deserve it all.” 

“I have to go take care of some things, but call me tomorrow when you can talk for a bit? Please? I want to tell you about another new thing I have coming up,” she begged. 

“Yeah, I have something to take care of as well,” he said, letting his voice take on all the suggestive edge he intended. Gwen actually moaned which made his urgency even worse. “But I will call tomorrow. Have a good night.” 

“You too, and thank you for doing that,” she added, sounding genuine. 

“Any time,” he replied honestly. Nik knew there wasn’t much he wouldn’t do for that woman. After they hung up he shoved down his pants and underwear and finished the job, all the while thinking about someone he shouldn’t have been thinking about while doing what he was doing.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just catching up a bit on some of the recent events/news and hinting at some upcoming things :) 
> 
> Hope you all enjoy 😘😘

“Okay what’s the exciting news?” Nik asked as soon as Gwen answered the phone. 

She started laughing instantly. “I actually don’t have any news, I just really wanted to make sure you would call me.” 

“Seriously? You’re an ass,” he replied. “You know you can call me any time.”

“I know, I know,” she said in a sing song voice. “But you have family, you’re busy sometimes and I hate interrupting.” 

“You love interrupting me,” Nik scoffed. “You do it all the -”

“Not you, the rest of your family,” Gwen interrupted. 

“Yep, just like that,” he muttered. 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever - listen, we have more important things to discuss - when the fuck were you going to tell me about your production company?” she yelled in a tone that was both annoyed and excited. 

“I mentioned it before,” he said sheepishly. He really should have told her the last time they talked and not let her find out on social media with the rest of the world, so he felt guilty about that. 

“You mentioned wanting to do something like that after the show was over, but you never told me it was happening you ass,” she grumbled. Her mood changed quickly though. “So when are you going to cast me in something?” 

Nik laughed. He knew it wouldn’t take her long to ask about that - he’d been waiting for it and he loved that she was so eager to work with and for him. “I’m keeping an eye out for something perfect. When you film something for me I want it to be incredible. I want you to be the star this time because you always steal the show anyway.” 

She chuckled. “I can’t help it if people love me. It’s really a curse,” Gwen sighed dramatically. “So are you watching for something for me - “ She paused dramatically. “Or for both of us?” 

Nikolaj knew that if had the opportunity to cast them both in a movie or series together it would be extremely popular with Game of Thrones fans. As much as he was ready to move away from that - it certainly would help to bring attention to the project and very likely help it be successful. “We’ll see what comes up, but if I find something for both of us be prepared for a very steamy love scene,” he teased. 

“You’re a pervert,” she replied with a laugh. 

“Um excuse me? I’m just thinking back to our last phone conversation here -” His voice trailed off. 

“Oh fine,” she conceded. “We’re both perverts - that’s why we get along so well. Speaking of perverts,” Gwen added. “You didn’t like my latest Instagram photo.” 

He knew exactly which photo she was talking about and he’d actually be waiting for her to bring it up. “No, I didn’t,” he admitted. “But I learned how to screenshot the other day so I saved a copy for my spank bank.” 

“Oh my God,” she screamed in her loud, happy, boisterous way. “You’re so gross. But I do love you. And clearly you’re home alone again,” she commented. 

“You have a tendency of helping me end up in the proverbial dog house,” Nik replied, smiling to himself. He didn’t miss how his wife often gave him the cold shoulder after a long conversation with Gwen. He couldn’t blame her. They sometimes talked for hours and they were loud, annoying, and probably a bit too flirty. Lately he’d been more careful about calling Gwen when he was alone, just to avoid any of that. 

“So wait, would she get mad if you liked that photo?” Gwen asked. He could tell she found it all a bit humorous. 

“I’m honestly not sure, but I’m not willing to take that chance,” he admitted. “You know what people think about us. It’s not easy for her to deal with that. I mean, she doesn’t really come out and say it but I can tell. Nuk isn’t really the jealous type, but when you see that kind of thing enough it gets to you.” 

“I understand,” Gwen replied, sounding more serious and somber. “So I guess I can forgive you - as long as you tell me what you would have commented if you felt like you could.” 

He chuckled a bit and then gave her the compliment she wanted. “Beautiful. Gorgeous. Sexy. So hot. Stunning. I’d hit that - any of those would work.” They both laughed for a second and then he got more serious. “Honestly though, you look incredible. You look rested and relaxed and really happy,” Nik said softly. “I miss you so much,” he added. He couldn’t help but tell her that every time they spoke because the more time that passed the more he missed her. 

“Golden Globe nominations come out on Monday,” she said, sounding hopeful. “Assuming the show gets nominated - please tell me you’ll be there?” 

“What? You don’t think either of us are getting acting nominations this time?” he joked. 

“I’m just going to be happy with my Emmy nomination and not even hope for such things,” she replied. “As for you - I hope you get nominated, but can anyone ever beat Peter? You know they pretty much wrote the final season to get him a few more awards.” 

He knew she was right, but he also knew she wasn’t saying it out of spite or envy - just stating a fact. They all loved Peter and knew he deserved each and every accolade he got. “It’s true,” Nik agreed. “We know who the real golden Lannister is.” 

“You didn’t answer me,” Gwen said. “Will you be there?” she asked again. 

“Will you be there?” he repeated her question. “If you’re going I’ll go.” 

“Perfect,” she squealed. “I know it’s still a month away, but I can’t wait to see you.” 

“They better seat us beside each other at that table,” he sneered. “If I have to have my manager rearrange the seating again they’re really going to think I’m a diva.” 

“You are a diva,” Gwen snorted. “But I appreciate your efforts because I need to sit beside you and make fun of people all night.” 

“We’re really terrible people, aren’t we?” he laughed. 

“The worst,” she gushed. “But it’s Hollywood - everyone loves you to your face and hates you to your back.” 

“It’s so true,” he agreed. “One of my least favorite things about being an actor.” 

“What’s your favorite thing?” she asked. 

“Working with you,” Nik replied, without missing a beat.

“Awwww,” Gwen cooed. The gave each other a few more compliments and of course added more teasing to the mix and when it was time to say goodbye she got back to the Globes. “So after Monday, when it’s official we’ll be invited - we need to start our outfit coordination again.” 

“I don’t know if we could possibly top the Emmy’s but I’m in,” he said, nodding his head. 

“Perfect. So you’ll call me Monday? After the announcements?” she asked hopefully. 

Nik could already tell he was going to be the caller from then on. He was okay with it though because he knew she wanted to talk to him as much as he wanted to talk to her. “Of course,” he replied. 

“I didn’t say it earlier, but - congratulations,” Gwen said. Her words were heartfelt and genuine. “I’m really, really proud of you and excited to see all your success with this company. You’re going to be an amazing producer and people will be lucky to work with you.” After a short pause she added, “People like me. Don’t forget about me.” 

He loved her persistence and wouldn’t have expected anything different. “Never,” he said. “We’ll find something perfect.” 

They said their goodbyes and Nik returned the the massive pile of screenplays he’d received in the mail. He’d requested anything they could find that had a strong female lead character. He was serious when he told her they would find something perfect. Nik was determined to find a role that was worthy of her personality and talent. One day soon he would send her a script - he just had to find it first.


	4. Chapter 4

“You waited this long to call me? For real?” That was the way Gwen answered the phone, but he wasn’t at all surprised. Nik knew he was going to get it. 

“Congratulations on your Critic’s Choice nomination.” He thought leading with the most important thing might calm her down some. 

“Thank you and thank you for the post too,” she said, softening some. “But of all people - you - YOU - didn’t call me until days later when I texted you about the SAG award nomination.” She sighed. “You were supposed to call me after the fucking Golden Globe nominations.” Fuck the Golden Globes, he thought. Other than an acting nomination for Kit, which was incredible, the show had been totally ignored. Not even a best Drama nomination for them to lose again like they always did at the Globes. 

“If you take a breath for a second I could explain,” he interrupted. “I dropped my fucking phone in a river by accident while I was out hiking. Gone. Sunk into the abyss forever.” 

“Oh fuck, that sucks,” Gwen replied, actually sounding like she felt bad. “But you have a phone at your house too you know.” 

“Yes, but your phone number was in my cell,” he protested. 

“Email? Ever heard of email?” she scoffed. 

“Okay, fair enough. I could have got out my macbook and emailed you I guess,” he admitted. “But I honestly wasn’t expecting it would take this long to get a new phone. The model I wanted was back ordered but they said it would only be a couple of days. Then a couple more. Then finally last night I got it and spent this morning setting it up.” 

“Why are you so technologically challenged?” she asked. He could picture the way she was rolling her eyes by the sound of her voice. 

“I’m getting better. A little,” he added, after she snorted at his first reply. “Listen, I really want you to know that I meant everything I said in that post. You absolutely deserve to win and I’m so proud of you and thrilled that you got the nomination. You’re amazing and talented and you put everything you had into that role. So from the bottom of my heart - congratulations.” 

“Aw, thank you,” she gushed. “You really hadn’t heard about the nomination until today?” 

“Nope,” he replied honestly. “I hadn’t been on instagram or social media since I lost my phone. I couldn’t see the group chat until this morning when I got all those updates and when I got your text about the SAG nomination for the show,” he explained. “I didn’t look in the group chat at first so the only thing I saw was your text which is why I did that post first. I thought I would bug you a bit by posting that photo that you weren’t in and we could have a little fun for the fans.” Gwen had replied to his post and then she did an Instastory where she posted a photo in which she was sitting on Kristofer’s lap as retaliation. They didn’t do it too often, but then knew fans enjoyed their banter on social media. “Once I browsed around a little more I saw your post about the nomination. I felt like a huge jerk so I hoped my post might help you forgive me a little. Did it work?” 

“Maybe a bit but I’m still annoyed,” she said haughtily. 

“What about a hug? Would that help?” Nik asked, as he hit the doorbell. 

“ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?” she screamed into the phone. Nik was sure he could actually hear her voice coming from inside her flat. The door flew open and they both hung up their phones and embraced. “You’re really here?” she sighed, hugging him tight. 

“This was my first stop as soon as my plane landed,” he replied with a chuckle. 

Gwen smacked him and stepped back. “You could have warned me, you ass.” 

“I wanted it to be a surprise,” he shot back. 

“You know I hate surprises,” she pouted. 

Nik smirked at her, “That’s exactly why I did it.”

“Fuck you,” she scowled. 

“Fuck you back,” he said, smiling at her. That’s when he noticed Giles was standing there. “Oh hey Giles,” he said, walking over. They did the hand grip/manly hug thing. 

“Great to see you Nik,” he replied with a nod. He looked over at Gwen and then back at Nik with a grin. Then he walked over and grabbed his jacket. “I have some work I can do at the studio - I’ll just let the two of you catch up.” He slipped on his coat and gave Gwen a peck on the cheek. “See you later Darling.” He held out his hand and Nik shook it. “Have fun and, uh, good luck with that,” Giles said shrugging in Gwen’s direction where she was still scowling. 

“She’s all talk,” Nik replied with a laugh. “Have a good night.” Giles nodded and went out the door. Nik knew that some people were uncomfortable with the way him and Gwen sparred like they hated each other. But it wasn’t like that with Giles leaving. He honestly just had a lot of respect for their friendship and he was giving them some alone time because he knew they didn’t get to see each other as often anymore. Nik liked Giles - he was a decent guy for sure. 

When he turned back to Gwen again she was tapping on her phone. She looked up and spoke. “So you have an event with Lena tomorrow? Fans are going to be annoyed,” she said with a chuckle. 

“How the fuck do you find these things out so quickly,” he said, somewhat beweildered. “Half will, half won’t,” he added with a shrug. 

“Half? What are you smoking?” She scoffed. “Like maybe 5 people will be happy, the rest will still be drooling over your Instagram post to me.” 

She had a point. There were a lot more fans who loved him and Gwen, and loved Jaime and Brienne. “We could give them a new selfie,” he suggested. 

“Pace yourself bucko, they have barely recovered. Let the poor babies catch their breath before we slay them again,” Gwen cackled. 

They wandered to the kitchen while they continued to chat. Just like that they slipped into easy conversation as usual. Nik was quickly caught up in the magic of her presence. Even with all the times they talked on the phone it was just different being in her company. It was beautiful and it made him so happy just to be close to her. 

Before he knew it almost two hours had passed and he really needed to go get checked into his hotel. “So, I have to pick Nukaka up at the airport in the morning. She’s flying in to attend the event with me,” he explained. “But do you think you would be up to meeting for some lunch tomorrow? You and Giles too of course - if you guys aren’t busy?” 

“I’ll talk to Giles and see if he can make it, but I’m definitely in,” she replied. “Text me tomorrow and we’ll figure out a time and place.” 

They strolled slowly towards the front door, very hesitantly, because it was obvious she didn’t want him to leave anymore than he wanted to go. Once they got there and he had his shoes and jacket back on, he studied her for a moment. “We need to do this more often,” he said softly. 

Nik opened his arms and she stepped into his embrace as she agreed, “We really do.” They hugged, for a long time. Probably longer than two friends should hug so intimately. They eventually parted and he leaned in to place a lingering kiss on her forehead. Finally, Nik said bye and then turned to walk away, desperately trying to ignore the way his heart was pounding wildly in his chest.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a request for a chapter about Gwen’s outfit yesterday. This one went a bit off the rails 😂 But I do hope you guys enjoy it anyway 😘😘

_ I can see your nipple.  _ Gwen read the text and immediately blushed. She wasn’t embarrassed by her see thru shirt, but by the fact it was Nikolaj who was pointing it out. 

It was dark and Giles was driving - and they were almost home, so thankfully no one could actually see her flushed cheeks. She vowed Nik would pay for her moment of embarrassment though. 

“I’m going to take a shower before bed,” Gwen announced. Giles nodded goodnight and immediately headed off to bed. She quickly gathered her things and headed to the spare bathroom. Giles was a light sleeper and she often showered down the hall if he was trying to sleep, so it wouldn’t seem strange at all for her to do that. 

Gwen stripped off the outfit she wore to her first London Fashion Week event. It was the start of a busy week for her, but even more so for Giles. She loved fashion week at home because it really was nice to sleep in her own bed after the late nights and long days. 

She checked the time on her phone. They hadn’t even left the party until after 4am and it was pretty close to 5 already. That meant it was almost 6 in Denmark, so it wasn’t surprising that Nik was awake already. He had always been an early bird, who really didn’t sleep much. They had that in common. He had sent the text less than 15 minutes earlier. 

Payback time, Gwen thought with a wicked grin. She was tired and a bit buzzed still, so perhaps her brain wasn’t as sharp as usual but she acknowledged that realization with a shrug and continued with the plan anyway. She held the phone in front of her naked body, with the camera on selfie mode and then snapped a photo of her breast. She cropped it, so it was literally a boob filling the whole screen. She opened a text to Nik and sent the photo quickly. Done - before she had a chance to sober up and change her mind. 

She watched as the iMessage indicated it had been read and then waited. He replied with  _ OMG. Give me a minute.  _ Gwen had no idea what that meant, but she slipped on her robe, put the toilet seat down and sat there to wait. She checked out Instagram while she waited about 8 minutes later her phone rang. “Hello?” she said sweetly.    
  
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Nik hissed. “You need to warn me before you do something like that.” She was instantly amused by the fact that he wasn’t mad about her sending him a titty pic, just the fact that she didn’t properly warn him about what was coming. Gwen couldn’t hold back the giggle. “Jesus, you’re drunk aren’t you? I should have known,” he sighed.    
  
“I’m not drunk,” she insisted. “It’s mostly worn off now.” Gwen giggled again. “Okay, maybe I’m a little drunk.”    
  
“Seriously, you have to be more careful when you do crazy shit like that,” he warned. “Nukaka had literally just walked past my phone to go to the bathroom. She could have seen it.”    
  
“I’m sorry,” she drawled. “I will never send you boobie pictures again - I promise.”    
  
“Well, hold on -” he muttered. “I didn’t say that you couldn’t send them.” Gwen bit her cheek to hold back the laughter that was threatening. “Just warn me first.”    
  
“You are such a perv,” she said, finally letting the laughter erupt.    
  
“Hey, I’m not the one sending nudes,” he shot back.    
  
“No, you’re not. How disappointing,” Gwen said with a dramatic sigh. The flirting was a bit more hardcore than usual, but they actually hadn’t talked in a while and that, mixed with her loose lips from the alcohol and his willingness to play along, was making for an interesting phone call. 

She could hear the smile in his voice when he spoke. That sexy, easy smile, that made his eyes sparkle. “If it makes you feel any better I have never sent a dick pic to anyone.”    
  
“There’s a first time for everything,” she said seductively. There was a moment of silence and she burst out laughing again. “I’m kidding. I don’t think I could ever look your wife in the face again if you sent me a picture of your junk.” 

His sigh of relief was audible. “Am I supposed to feel guilty about your boob pic and be nervous around Giles?”    
  
“Ha! No,” Gwen chuckled. “You have seen my boobs before - you and half the planet. Giles wouldn’t care. He would probably find it all quite amusing.”    
  
“You know I’ve done full frontal right?” he reminded her.    
  
“And as much as I love to support your career there are a few movies you have done that I just can’t -” her voice trailed off.    
  
“You really, honestly, have never googled photos?” he asked.    
  
“What? No. Oh my God,” she gasped. “Wait, have you? Have you googled my old nudes from when I was young and impressionable?”    
  
“What? Me? Nooooo, of course not,” he said, feigning innocence.    
  
“You have,” she gasped. “You really are a complete and total pervert.” Gwen couldn’t help but feel a bit flattered by his perviness. “Fine, I’m looking right now,” she announced, switching him to speaker so she could use her phone.    
  


“No, wait, you don’t need to do that. Let’s talk about something else. How was the party?” he tried to deflect.    
  
“Nope. This is happening.” She typed in ‘Nikolaj Coster Waldau nude’ and hit enter, then clicked on photos. “Hmm,” she said as she eyed the photos that popped up. It was a surreal experience to see one of her closest friends completely in the buff. “Oh a gif, look at you running around with your junk bouncing.”    
  


“Oh my God,” he moaned. “Look away.”    
  
Gwen was fully invested now. He wasn’t as big as she would have expected while soft, but she knew that didn’t always mean anything. “I didn’t expect your bush would be so thick and dark.”    
  
“That was a long time ago,” he huffed. “I have since discovered the fine art of manscaping.” 

“Thank god,” Gwen snorted. “Well, there, now we’re even.” She pretended she was done looking but she tapped on another photo where he was laying on his back in bed with a sheet or towel on his stomach, his package on full display. She zoomed in and got a good look at his full, round balls and squirmed a bit at the dirty thoughts that popped into her mind, which included licking them.    
  
“So what was with showing all that leg tonight?” he asked, clearly trying to get the spotlight off of himself. “You seemed to be moving away from showing off your, uh, assets, lately and tonight there was miles of leg and a see thru top.”    
  
“I’m glad you noticed,” she sniffed. “You’ve been ignoring all my posts since we got back from the SAG awards. I didn’t even think you were paying attention.”    
  
“You know why I’ve been doing that,” he sighed, sounding more serious.    
  
“Yeah, because your new PR person thinks it would be best for us to take a giant step back on social media until the rumours die down,” she muttered in a snide tone. “I think it’s stupid. It just makes us look like we have something to hide.”    
  
Nik sighed again. “You’re probably right, but I’m paying her to advise me so I need to follow what she suggests, right?” Gwen made a snorting sound. She hated it when Nik ignored her posts, even if it wasn’t really his fault this time. “I like your posts on your private account,” he added cheerfully. “Don’t be mad.”    
  
Dammit. Why was he so sweet? He always did his best to cheer her up when she got moody and dramatic. “I’m sorry,” she said truthfully. “I just miss being us, all the time, not just when no one is looking.”    
  
“Me too,” he said softly. “We’ll get back there eventually. We just have to let some time pass, okay?”    
  
“Okay,” she repeated sadly. 

“So listen, I was supposed to be in London this weekend for that shit show convention, but I found out today it was cancelled,” he said. Gwen felt her heart sink. She was counting down the days until she would get to see him again and it sounded like that wasn’t going to happen. “But I already booked my own flight because I know the convention is notorious for not booking celebs flights. I wanted to make sure I was there to film for my documentary, if it actually happened,” he explained. “So I’m going to come anyway and meet with Joe about our first project for Ill Kippers.” She breathed a sigh of relief and felt a smile spread across her face. 

“I can’t wait to see you,” she admitted.    
  


“Me too,” he replied. His voice sounded husky and it made her cheeks warm again. “So get some sleep. Have a great week and save some time for me Sunday, okay?”    
  
“You got it,” Gwen said, beaming happily.    
  
“Okay, I’m going to actually jog for a bit since that was my excuse to get out of the house,” he explained. “I’ll see you soon.”    
  
“Yes, soon,” she echoed.    
  
“Oh, and Gwen,” he added. “You looked amazing tonight. I’m sorry if I was a pervert with the nipple text. The truth is - you looked gorgeous and most importantly, you looked happy. And that makes me happy too.”    
  
“Thank you,” she whispered, feeling a bit choked up by his honesty and the sentiment. They said their goodbyes and Gwen hung up. She wished she could have told him he was wrong. She wasn’t happy - because she missed him so badly. But she let it go for the time being because she only wanted the same for him as he wanted for her - for him to be truly happy. 

  
  
  
  



	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn’t much. I just couldn’t resist bringing up the death article so I thought it would add it to this one.

“Hello?” Nik answered when his phone rang. He hadn’t bothered to check who it was. He assumed it was his wife because he had just texted her to let her know he was safely at their place in LA. 

“Oh thank God you’re still alive,” Gwen said, sounding amused and relieved. “I almost bought something when I clicked on the link, but I thought I better call first and make sure you weren’t really dead.” 

“Uhhhh, what?” Nik replied, completely confused. 

“You haven’t heard?” She sounded shocked. “Have you not been on social media at all?” 

“No,” he snapped impatiently. “I’ve been traveling, remember?” 

“I know that,” she sighed. “But what do you do all that time in the airport and on the plane?” 

“I had a couple of drinks, a nice long nap, watched an in flight movie,” he said. 

Gwen snorted, “Oh my God, you’re such an old man.”

“Can you please just tell me what’s going on?” He snapped again. He was tired from travelling and just didn’t have his usual patience. 

“There’s a headline being spread around on a bunch of Danish news sites, maybe more now, saying you had died, but when you click on it, it just takes you to a site that’s selling products,” she explained. “It’s click bait. They used you as a pawn.” 

“What the actual fuck?” Nik growled. His blood was boiling and his stomach was in knots. “Why would someone do that? What if my daughters saw it? My sisters. Family. Friends. Fuck,” he seethed. 

“People will do anything if they think it’s going to somehow help their business,” Gwen said calmly. “As the Rock and George Clooney how many times they have died.” 

“It’s disgusting,” Nik spat. He knew she was trying her best to calm him down but he was furious. 

“Why don’t you go find it. Send it to your PR goddess and have her deal with it. Make sure your family is okay, then please call me back.” Gwen was always his voice of reason when he went off the deep end. 

“You’re right, you’re right,” he muttered. “Okay I’m going to do that,” he sighed and rubbed his face. “Are you sure you want me to call back? It’s pretty late.” 

“You better call back,” she warned. “Take care of things and I’ll be waiting.” 

Nik agreed and hung up. He was even angrier when he actually saw the news article. It was in Danish and had a photo of him with his birth year 1970 to 2020. It was disgusting and really unnerving to see a headline like that about yourself. At least he knew he was still alive. He couldn’t imagine a family member seeing it and the seed of doubt it would plant, even if they knew it was likely fake. 

He gathered all the information he needed and quickly emailed it to his PR team. Then he sent a text to let her know it needed to be dealt with as soon as possible. She replied back right away and Nik knew he had put it in good hands and he didn’t need to worry about it anymore. 

Once that was done he sent a group text to Nukaka, Safina and Filippa. He let them know he was okay and not to worry if they seen or heard anything about him being dead - it was all a hoax. He also promised to call them all in the morning and explain. 

Before he called Gwen back he paced around beside the pool for a couple of minutes. He couldn’t let it go. He needed to do something else. Nik decided he would post something on Instagram, calling out the assholes. 

He started the video and did his usual rambling. He had to control the level of rage he felt or the whole video would be nothing but a bunch of expletives. Nik felt like he got his point across so he posted the video and shared it to twitter. It actually made him feel a lot better to get that out there and let fans know it was all fake. But also to let out the rant and get it off his chest. 

He went back inside and used the loo before he finally called Gwen back. She was laughing the second she answered. “That was epic.  _ I know you don’t care but fuck you.” _ She could barely get the words out with her rampant giggling. “You have no idea how many memes are going to come out of that.” 

“I’m glad I’m a constant source of amusement for you,” he replied. He actually wasn’t mad at all, he was just joking. He knew she got joy out of making fun of him and he honestly didn’t care. 

“I’m sorry,” she said right away. “Are you okay? I’m such an ass. I’ve been teasing you and I haven’t taken a moment to actually ask if you’re alright. It must have felt really yucky to see that about yourself.” 

“I’m fine,” Nik said with a sigh. 

“For real? You know you can tell me the truth,” she said gently. 

“I’m tired and jet lagged and still a bit grumpy,” he admitted. “But hearing your laugh always helps.” 

“It either makes you smile or want to kill me,” she chuckled. “Thankfully it’s the former tonight.” 

“Why are you up so late anyway?” He asked. It was pushing 2am in London by that point. 

“I haven’t got my sleep schedule back to normal since the late night at the Madonna concert,” she explained. Nik could see the grin on her face just bringing it up. He knew she adored Madonna and it had been a really special night for her. 

Nik sat on the couch and sank back against the soft pillows. “I’m glad you had fun. You’ve seemed a bit down lately and you were glowing that night.” 

“I really did need that. But what I need more than anything is a few days with you.” Nik understood the tone of her voice, the longing and hint of sadness. 

It was difficult to plan to spend time with a woman that wasn’t your wife. They did their best to be in the same place at the same time, but when you were there for another reason it meant commitments and a limited amount of time to just visit with the person you desperately wanted to see. “Fly out here for the weekend. I’m here alone. I have some work, but I’m free most of Saturday and all day Sunday.”

“That sounds amazing,” she groaned. “But I don’t know if it’s a good idea.” Again, he understood. It was pretty hard to justify flying 8 times zones across the world to spend the weekend with a friend. 

“Come on Gwen,” he pressed. “Find a reason that you need to be in LA and come.” 

“God I want to say yes,” she whispered. “I need to see your stupid face.” 

“Just say yes then. Please,” he begged. 

“Let me sleep on it, okay?” The tone of her voice had an edge of excitement that gave him hope. “I’ll call you in the morning. I’m sure you’ll be up by the time I crawl out of bed.” 

“Sounds good,” he replied. “Sweet dreams.” 

“You too,” she said, sounding even more cheerful. Nik hung up the phone and stared at it for a few moments. 

“Come on Gwen,” he whispered out loud. “Come see me.” 

  
  
  
  



	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been waiting for something to happen to write a new chapter of this one, but Gwen has been way too quiet and isn’t helping me out much 😂 So I just went for it and wrote this mostly silly, fluffy chapter. 
> 
> Thanks for reading ❤️❤️❤️

“Oh good, you are still alive,” Nikolaj commented when Gwen answered the phone. It had been a while since they had chatted and she wasn’t maintaining her usual social media presence either so he was getting worried about her. It was actually a bit amusing that he was teasing her the same way she had teased him about the fake death story. 

“Barely,” she moaned. “I’m going crazy. I’m not joking, not exaggerating, I’m actually losing my mind.” 

“I bet you’re exaggerating a little, being a bit of a drama queen, perhaps?” 

“We know you’re the drama queen in this relationship,” she shot back. “Nik, I’m actually serious. Giles is going to murder me. He goes into his office everyday and avoids me like I’ve already got the virus. But I can’t blame him. He’s the only one here to take out my frustration on and he’s been getting a lot of shit dumped on him. I’m a horrible person. I don’t even like myself right now. It’s bad.” 

“We’ll be glad I’m not the one stuck there with you, or I would have already killed you, chopped you up in little pieces and stored you in the freezer,” he joked, hoping to get a little banter going between them to lighten the mood and cheer her up for a few minutes. 

“That’s if I didn’t get to you first. I would kill you in your sleep for breathing too loudly,” Gwen replied. Nik smiled at how perfectly his plan was working out. 

“What would you do with my body?” He asked. 

She didn’t miss a beat, “Oh definitely piranhas.” 

He laughed, “Where the fuck are you going to find piranhas?” 

“The exotic pet store, of course. Where else? It’s not like I can just jet off to Africa with your rotting body in my suitcase,” she drawled. 

“Oh so you’re just going to walk in and toss a severed arm into the aquarium? Then come back the next day with another appendage?” Nik couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. He didn’t realize how much he needed this too. 

“That’s not the appendage I would throw in first,” she said suggestively. 

“You’re a truly sadistic woman,” he moaned. 

“I’m sure I could easily fit that in a small, tiny, wee purse,” she said with a giggle. 

He was so happy to hear her laugh that he just went with it. “Depends on whether you’re doing a full or partial castration I suppose.” 

“Is it still called a castration if you’re dead?” She pondered. “Or just dismemberment perhaps?” 

Nik chuckled. “I don’t care what you call it, I’ll be dead.” 

Gwen sighed. “Well now I’m sad because you’re dead and I have no one left who can somehow make me smile even when I’m an angry wench.” 

“Hey that’s not fair,” he snapped playfully. “First of all, you’re the one who killed me, so it’s your own fault. And secondly, you never let me call you Wench, Wench.” 

“I’ll let you away with it this one time to make up for murdering you,” she said sweetly. 

“Oh how very kind of you,” he sneered sarcastically. “What if I do it again? Will you kill me?” 

“No, I’ve moved on to castration now,” she replied instantly. The quick and easy way she responded to him, with such sharp wit, was admirable. 

They both laughed for a moment. It felt really good. It wasn’t that he hadn’t shared lots of laughs with his family, but this was Gwen, it was different. Their relationship was unique and, as usual, he missed her. 

“Now that I’ve at least got a laugh out of you, can you tell me how you’re feeling and why you’re going crazy?” Nik asked. 

“I think it’s mostly the loss of control,” she admitted with a sigh. “I could be perfectly happy to stay home and do next to nothing for two weeks - if it was my choice. Don’t get me wrong, I understand it and I have so much respect for all the doctors and nurses, the truck drivers, the food service workers - everyone who is still out there doing their job, but it’s harder than I ever would have imagined.” Nik truly understood everything she was saying. “Like I said before, I’m taking it out on Giles and it’s really not good. He hasn’t done anything to deserve it, but be the unfortunate soul who’s stuck here with me.” 

“I wish I had something to say that would make it better,” he said, speaking from the heart. “If it helps - I know exactly how you feel. I love my family and I enjoy spending time with them, but these close quarters for days and days - I find things annoy me that normally wouldn’t. And it’s not just a nuisance - they realllllly annoy me,” he admitted. “I’ve started taking walks, alone in the woods,” he explained. “That’s where I am now while everyone else is bent over a jigsaw puzzle. But I find my walks get longer everyday and right now -“ he paused for a second and looked around. “I’m actually scanning the area to see if there’s a comfortable place to make a bed and stay the night - and I’m only half kidding.” 

“Can you imagine if it was you and I that were stuck together through this?” She said softly, almost wistfully. 

They had joked about killing each other, but Nik knew it would be quite the opposite. They would fight and argue because they always did, but they would also make each other laugh until they cried, talk for hours on end, and do stupid, silly things that displayed just how dorky they really were. 

“We’ll have to plan it better next time the world is shut down by a global pandemic,” he teased, while still letting her know he liked the idea. “I miss you - even more than usual,” he said gently.  
“I don’t like not only not knowing when I’ll be able to see you again, but just the fact that I can’t, you know?” 

“Yeah,” she sighed lightly. “It’s that loss of control factor that really makes everything more difficult.” She paused and he heard her take a deep breath. “We can control this,” Gwen added. “We can make sure we talk everyday, right? Can we do that? Can you call me when you take your walk?” 

Nik felt guilty for not calling more often. As much as they said they would be better about keeping in touch, things came up or he couldn’t find some time alone when he thought about calling her - etc etc. It was no excuse though. They were friends and he cared deeply for her. He needed to be better about showing that. 

“As long as it doesn’t rain I will take my daily walk, and as long as I take my walk I will call you,” he promised. “It will give me something to look forward to every single day,” he added, feeling sentimental. 

“If you don’t I will text you horrible memes about Jaime until you do,” she threatened. 

“Well that would certainly be unbearable - so, no worries I’ll make sure I call,” he laughed. Nik knew it was time to start heading back. “We’re going to get through this,” he said softly. “And when we do I’m going to come visit you and I’ll going to give you the biggest hug ever,” he warned. “I don’t even care who sees or what ridiculous rumors it will ignite.” 

She laughed. “You better.” 

Nik was lingering, not wanting to say goodbye and he knew she was too. Finally he sighed deeply. “Okay, I guess I should head back and find all the puzzle pieces they have been looking for forever.” 

“Thank you for cheering me up,” she said. “I really needed this.”

“Me too,” he agreed. “More than I realized.” 

“Well good luck with the puzzle and your rise to Tik Tok fame,” she teased. “Bye Nik.”

“Bye Gwen.” When he hung up he actually felt his spirit was renewed. He was certain he would be much better at dealing with his family’s annoying habits if he got the stress relief of a walk and chat with Gwen each day. Still, the end of this strange way of life couldn’t come soon enough. He really did want that hug.


End file.
